Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-08
THE WIDOW BEMIS' PARROT.
He Fails From Grace and, Guided By Tia :
Folsom Boys, Becomes a Dcprayed Bird,

He Fails From Grace and, Guided By tn
Folsom Boys, Becomes Depraved Bird
New Haven Register.
Mrs. Lucret;a Bemis is s widow. Her
husband was q sea captain, and when he
died, about fifteen years ago, he left his
wife, among other worldly goods, large
green parro., versatile alike in plUmage
and in conversational powers. This par
rot was named Neptune-a modest tribute
to the trident-bearing deity whose do
main had been tTsversed so often by Old
Captain Bemis. The widow Bemis en-
Joys the reputation of g GeVoutly relig-
iOus wOmau-s woman whose converse
tiOn and deeds are marked by a singular
pietY. Since the demise of her beloved
husband she has lavished the wealth OF
her affections upon the parrot Nep-
tune, and has devoted much time TO
teaching the bird religious hymns and
phrases.
The Folsom boys live next door 10 Mrs.
Bemis. There ale three of them, and
they are fifteen, eighteen and nineteen
years old respectively. Their father is g
blacksmith, sGd ne is an industrious man,
but these three boys Gre so wCndrously
shittless that they appear to have given
themselves over, body and soul. TO the
devices of Satan. About q month ago
these abandoned youths turned their dis-
bCliC9l attention 10 the beguiling of the
Widow Bemis' parrot into sinful ways.
From their back door steps they held art
ful discourse with the parrot as he perChed
in the window Oh the second story back
room, and ere long they taught the guile
less and unsuspecung bird divers ribald
words, pr0tsne explosives and wicked
phrases likely 20 cause blush of shame,
II not thrill of horror, when heard N
polite society.
Last Saturday the Widow Bemis hap-
pened to hesr 20 parrot explode sn oath,
and to punish him for the shocking
CG5nSe the proper dame locked him up in
the garret for several days and fed him
nothing but dry bread. On Tuesday she
believed him sufficiently punished, and
she brought him down into the sitting
room. The detected Countenance he
wore and the melancholy droop of his
tail feathers convinced Mrs. Bemis that
Neptune was truly penitent, and thereat
the good lady much rejoiced.
On Tuesday evening the regular old
folks prayer meeting was held at Mrs.
Bemi5' and the attendance WAS somewhat
larger than usual. The ceremonies had
reached the most impressive point when
the parrot, who had maintained 6 gloomy
silence ell day, calculated, suddenly snd
in harsh, discord2rt tones, Gratis" it
would be hard to conceive OF an inter
ruptiOn more malapropos, more shcCk-
ing. The Widow Bsmis made s plume
for the deprsved bird, with the intention
of incsrcersting him again in the garnet,
but, as If he foresaW her design, the par
rot ripped out q vOlley of oaths so prOdi-
giously shocking that the Widow Bemis
fell back and over on the floor and lsy
there like one dead.
Old MIR. Sawyer made pass at Nep-
tune with his cane, but oil he did was to
knock some veneering of the hair-cloth
sofa. The profsne bird thereupon opened
out on Mr.. Sawyer, and the hideous ex-
pletives he Tssped out drove that worthy
old gentleman into an spoplectic fit. 1t
seemed as if the Bird had become pos
sessed of seven devils; ct any rate, never
before had the ears of mis- auditors been
burdened with such feodtide of rib
sldTy snd profanity as ne launched out